Engagement and Development: Eimear MacGuire talks making the most of colloege

St. Pat’s final year humanities student, Eimear Maguire believes her active role in extra curricular activities makes her the ideal candidate to be the first DCUSU VP for Engagement and Development.

Maguire has long been involved in college life across both campuses previously as Class Rep, chairperson of the Lifestart society in St. Pats, a producer for DCU Music Society and St. Pat’s rep for DCU Music Soc last year. She believes her involvement across the DCU campuses is the reason she is the best candidate for the position.

“A lot of people don’t know this but I wanted to drop out of college in first year, I thought it absolutely didn’t suit me at all but it was societies and getting involved and volunteering that really kept me in it.”

“I made friends and I made connections and I developed myself. When I got involved my mindset started to change so now I’ve decided that I want to try and help other people realise that getting involved and developing yourself as a person is so beneficial”, she said.

Her manifesto boasts the promotion of more volunteering using a volunteering app, the upkeep of DCU’s Community Garden and to enforce the Access Program across all faculties.

She hopes to get international students and mature students involved in college life too and emphasises that the role is “not just about clubs and socs but about getting involved in all aspects of college life”.

Maguire intends to engage all campuses in student life and says she is “living proof” that working across all campuses can work. She aims to create a sustainable Class Rep system that can work closely with the USI.

“I know a lot of people haven’t heard of this role but I want to develop it and turn it into something that it can be for future”, she continued.

She sees the amalgamation of DCU’s, St. Pats and Mater Dei’s Student’s Unions as a positive for everyone. “There is a lot of negativity in St. Pats towards DCU and in DCU towards St. Pats but I am living proof that it works. I travel to DCU from St. Pats three times a week to do society stuff, it’s not that difficult.

“St. Pats are gaining better facilities and services with the amalgamation and DCU are gaining St. Pats great sense of community”, she said.

Maguire also intends to create CV clinics, as well as different workshops and events that would be beneficial to people who may not have any interest in clubs and socs. She aims to make the five life coaches in DCU more well known and to get students utilise them.

Maguire is the only female candidate running in the race for Engagement and Development and she believes that by voting for her student’s will see just how smoothly this amalgamation can work.